Brackish Okun
| residence = | education = California Institute of Technology''Independence Day: Official Novelization'' | affiliation = Area 51 Earth Space Defense | father = | mother = | siblings = | marital = Single | spouse = | children = | sigothers = | others = | actor = Brent Spiner | firstseen = Independence Day | lastseen = Independence Day: Resurgence | appearances = 2 films, 3 novels | image2 = | caption2 =Brackish Okun (1996) |nicknames = Dr. Okun|rank = Lab scientist}} Dr. Brackish Okun was the director of research at Area 51. History Background Okun was graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Ph.D. in astrophysics. In 1972, following his graduation, Okun was immediately recruited by the military following his graduation, and due to the top-secret nature of his work, has been isolated at Area 51 since. However, Okun was devoted in learning about the alien technology from the captured spacecraft from the Roswell incident. War of 1996 During the War of 1996, Okun was surprised and excited that the spacecraft reactivated due to the arrival of the aliens. He later greeted the arrival of President Thomas Whitmore and his entourage, and helped explain to them of what he basically knows about the aliens. Whitmore then assigned David Levinson to help Okun and his research team. When an alien was captured and brought to Area 51, Okun volunteered to lead the autopsy on the alien. However, the alien regained consciousness and controlled Okun's mind before attacking the physicians. The alien used Okun as its mouthpiece to communicate his human handlers including Whitmore until it was killed by the President's security detail. Because of the alien's mind control, Okun was rendered into a catatonic state.Independence Day: Crucible Okun would remain in a coma for twenty years following the incident. War of 2016 In July 2016, Okun suddenly and inexplicably awakened from his coma. He later discovered that, having been telepathically linked to the aliens, he has now become part of the Hive Mind, and begins having visions of a second strike by the aliens. Much like how the spacecraft was reactivated upon the aliens' reapproach, the aliens' return has caused him to wake up from his coma with no apparent brain damage. He starts drawing out the visions he sees until his entire hospital room is covered in drawings. Thomas Whitmore, who also suffered a telepathic attack from the aliens, also has these visions due to the hive mind. A spherical ship emerges from a wormhole near the ESD's Moon defense headquarters. Levinson is convinced that it belongs to a different extraterrestrial race that is benevolent and urges the world's governments not to attack, but they vote to shoot it down regardless. The container is analyzed and brought to Area 51. Okun uses some of his old experimental plasma technology to open the container and releases a giant white sphere of artificial intelligence, with which he is able to successfully communicate. The orb explains its mission: to evacuate survivors from worlds targeted by harvesters, and build a resistance force, one already greatly feared by the aliens. Later, after the Harvester Queen is killed and the remaining alien forces retreat, Okun reveals that the sphere has asked them to lead the resistance, and offered them new technology in preparation for an assault on the aliens' home world. Appearances *''Independence Day: Silent Zone'' *''Independence Day (novel)'' *''Independence Day'' *''Independence Day: Crucible'' *''Independence Day: Resurgence (novelization)'' *''Independence Day: Resurgence'' Gallery ''Independence Day'' Independence-day-dr-okun-brent-spiner.jpg Alien autopsy 04.png Alien autopsy 11.png ''Independence Day: Resurgence'' New-video-explains-dr-okun-s-survival-in-independence-day-resurgence-1026370-1-.jpg Brackish-1-.png Independence-day-2-wiederkehr-mit-brent-spiner-2-.jpg Independence-day-2-wiederkehr-mit-brent-spiner-1-4.jpg Independence-day-2-wiederkehr-mit-brent-spiner-1-3.jpg Screen Shot 2016-07-25 at 9.16.38 PM.jpg Quotes Behind the Scenes *Okun, portrayed by Brent Spiner, is based on Jeffrey A. Okun, digital effects supervisor on Roland Emmerich's and Dean Devlin's Stargate (1994). *Brent Spiner was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in Independence Day. *Despite Okun's apparent death in Independence Day, Dean Devlin and Brent Spiner have since gone on record to say that his character is really in a coma when he appears to be dead after the film crew and audiences liked Okun so much. This was eventually confirmed in the sequel Independence Day: Resurgence. *In Independence Day: Resurgence, Okun said to his friend Dr. Milton Isaacs "I'll get you to sickbay" is a nod to his iconic role as Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. References Category:Characters Category:Earth Space Defense personnel Category:Independence Day: Resurgence Category:Independence Day: Silent Zone characters